Ukraine

Modern Forms

Sofia Rotaru is one of the most well-known Ukrainian pop stars with one of the longest careers.

Ruslana holds the title of "People's Artist of Ukraine."

Contemporary Folk-Pop

It took a while for mainstream modern genres such as rock or pop to really take hold in Ukraine, and when folk ensembles started incorporating rock and pop elements into their performances during the 1960s, they opened a completely new musical door. Groups such as Piesnari and Kobza—the latter of which is the longest-surviving and most significant Ukrainian folk-pop band—had a huge influence on boosting the popularity of this genre.

Folk-pop continued to grow in popularity throughout the 1970s, and individual musicians such as Volodymir Ivasiuk and Sofia Rotaru also played a huge part in its development. The death of Ivasiuk in the 1980s had a debilitating effect on the movement, however, and even the most influential artists started singing in Russian.

The Chervona Ruta Festival of 1989 helped turn things back around, resulting in a major increase in Ukrainian folk-pop throughout the 1990s. Now artists such as Ruslana, the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest winner, and Sofia Rotaru lead the still-thriving folk-pop scene in Ukraine.